February 15, 2025
Tzu Chi Philippines donates hospital equipment to Ziga Memorial Hospital in Albay
By Dorothy Castro
Tzu Chi goes beyond providing medical assistance for patients by donating hospital equipment to provincial hospitals in the hope that these can help the patients in their recovery.
On February 1, Tzu Chi Philippines, led by Bicol volunteers in Albay, turned over 18 hospital beds, 16 wheelchairs, 12 commodes, and eight walkers to Dr. Lorenzo P. Ziga Memorial Hospital in Tabaco City, Albay.
In an act of the same compassion, Ziga Memorial Hospital also shared these donated equipment to Pantao District Hospital and Manito Municipal Hospital of Bicol.
A hospital situated in Karangahan Boulevard, Ziga Memorial Hospital provides healthcare to Albayanos in nearby communities. As a Level 1 hospital, Ziga was one of the institutions in the frontlines during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to constant surges of patients with different medical cases, the hospital has been in need of medical equipment and facilities to ensure patients’ speedy recovery.
However, the hospital has admittedly been operating beyond capacity. “We are servicing 200% of our capacity, to tell you the truth,” said Dr. Aires Perillo, chief-of-hospital in Ziga Hospital.
On January 25, Tzu Chi Foundation responded to Ziga Memorial Hospital’s call for help through a letter of intent stating their needs. The hospital equipment arrived in Albay and was turned over on February 1.
During the turnover, Dr. Perillo expressed his gratitude to Tzu Chi. “We are very grateful and very positive; I’ve seen and felt the support from Tzu Chi,” he said.
The event was attended by representatives of Ziga Memorial Hospital, Provincial Government of Albay, as well as distinguished guests Hon. Baby Glenda Ong-Bongao, acting governor of the province of Albay, and Nestor San Pablo, vice mayor of Tabaco City.
Ong-Bongao felt grateful as she reminisced about Tzu Chi’s help given to Albay. From her time as a councilor to her present role as an acting governor, she acknowledged how Tzu Chi has always been Albay’s “silent helper.”
“They do not declare to the world that they will help; instead, we feel and experience the help that they provide. [They] have been supportive towards many of the province’s programs and projects, especially when it comes to education, healthcare, and disaster relief,” she expressed.
And it is not only in events of disaster that Tzu Chi springs into action. In a span of seven days, Tzu Chi was able to provide for Ziga Memorial Hospital’s heartfelt request. “It filled my heart that in such a short amount of time, Tzu Chi’s help was immediate,” said Dr. Perillo.
For Tzu Chi Bicol commissioner-in-charge Antonio Tan, this is the foundation's continued commitment to ensure that partner hospitals and other institutions are able to care for patients to the best of their abilities.
Tzu Chi has routinely supported the medical needs of hospitals. At the height of the pandemic, volunteers procured much-needed face masks, personal protective equipment, oxygen concentrators, and high-flow nasal cannula machines and donated them to hospitals all over the country.
Tzu Chi’s partnership with Ziga Memorial Hospital goes a long way. In a 2009 medical mission in Bicol, major surgeries were conducted in the said hospital.
Continuing this relationship rooted in care for the communities in Bicol, Tan looks forward to more projects with Ziga Memorial Hospital in the future.
In Manila, a Tzu Chi volunteer checks the condition of a wheelchair before sending them to Bicol.
In the Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila, staff members prepare the equipment for transport.
Tzu Chi Philippines’ volunteers and staff load hospital beds into a truck heading for Albay, Bicol region.
On January 25, days after Ziga Memorial Hospital’s request for assistance was granted, 18 hospital beds, 16 wheelchairs, 12 commodes, and eight walkers from Tzu Chi Manila arrived at the hospital.
The donated wheelchairs, commodes, and walkers are essentials in any hospital.
This sturdy hospital bed allows for easy transport of patients admitted to the hospital for various medical concerns.
Hon. Baby Glenda Ong-Bongao, acting governor of the province of Albay (front row, first from left), and Antonio Tan, Tzu Chi Bicol commissioner-in-charge (front row, second from left), sign the turnover documents together with Tzu Chi Bicol volunteers and distinguished guests from Ziga Memorial Hospital.
Commissioner-in-charge Antonio Tan addresses the guests during the turnover event on February 1.
Tzu Chi Bicol volunteers are happy with news of the donated hospital equipment.
Tzu Chi Bicol volunteers are very happy to turn over these donated hospital equipment to Ziga Memorial Hospital.
Tzu Chi volunteers, staff, Ziga Memorial Hospital representatives, and guests from the Provincial Government of Albay gather for the simple turnover ceremony.
Commissioner-in-charge Antonio Tan talks about Tzu Chi’s missions of charity, medicine, education, and humanistic culture. He explains how valuable each and every donation is in providing immediate needs of beneficiaries.
Dr. Aires Perillo expresses the importance of donated hospital equipment in their operations: “This is how we can bring comfort to the patients. These are the things that can make a change.”
Nestor San Pablo, vice mayor of Tabaco City, expresses his gratitude for Tzu Chi Philippines’ hospital equipment donations.
From left, Tabaco City Councilor Atty. Gio Bongao, Acting Governor Hon. Baby Glenda Ong-Bongao, and Tzu Chi Bicol volunteer Therese Tan are all smiles during the simple turnover ceremony.